Date of Award

2014-04-01

Degree Name

PhD Nursing

Dissertation Committee

Dr. Jane M. Georges, RN, PhD, Chairperson; Dr. Ann M. Mayo, RN; DNSc; FAAN; Dr. Kathy Shadle James, RN, DNSc, FAAN

Keywords

Arab Americans, health promotion lifestyle behaviors, nursing, Perceived Health Competence Scale--PHCS, southern California, women

Abstract

Guided by Pender and colleagues' (2006) revised health promotion model (HPM), this descriptive correlational study was designed to explore the relationships between personal factors (comprised of sociodemographic factors, degree of acculturation, and perceived stress), perceived health self-efficacy, perceived social support, and health promotion lifestyle behaviors (HPLBs) among a group of Arab American women (AAW) living in Southern California. A second purpose was to explore the psychometric properties of the translated version of the perceived health competence scale (PHCS). A convenience sample of 267 AAW were administered a paper copy of a self-reported survey. Four of the study's five standardized measures were available in Arabic and were tested in the Arab American populations; only the PHCS was translated to Arabic. The HPM guided the synthesis of relevant literature concerning AAW's health promotion behaviors; the model facilitated understanding of their health needs, risks, and challenges. The analysis revealed a bivariate association between the health-promotion lifestyle profile II (HPLP II) total score and the participants' age, years of residency in the United States, acculturation, perceived stress, self-efficacy, and social support. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the relationship between the study variables. Acculturation, perceived stress, perceived health self-efficacy, and perceived social support explained 46% of the variance in HPLBs scores. The Cronbach's alpha for the PHCS was .819 in both versions. Based on the participants' language preference; Arabic or English, two study groups were formed. The groups' responses on HPLP II and PHCS were compared. The Pearson product moment correlation coefficient indicated a lack of association between the participants' spoken language and their responses on both scales. Independent sample t-tests showed statistically significant differences in the physical activity, interpersonal relations, and spiritual-growth HPLP II subscales. No statistically significant differences were found on the PHCS groups' responses. The findings of this study can inform future intervention studies to address specific health promotion behaviors, such as nutrition, eating behaviors, stress management, and physical activity among AAW and women from other minority groups.

Document Type

Dissertation: Open Access

Department

Nursing

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Nursing Commons

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